Preview: 2013 Jaguar XJ Supersport Speedpak

By David Booth, Postmedia News

Originally published: May 10, 2012

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Nürburgring, Germany — Race tracks kill cars. It’s a truism as old as the automobile itself. Not long after the invention of the automobile came the first automobile race. Contrary to pop psychology — and the intuition of abandoned spouses the world over — this is not just because men are shallow, egocentric beasts ruled by a juvenile need to humiliate their fellow man but because the race track is the ultimate crucible of automotive endurance. Survive the rigours of a high-speed race track, goes the theory, and everything that a mere highway can throw at your pride and joy is a cakewalk. At least, that’s my justification and I am sticking to it.

That tradition continues unabated today. Automotive engineering, metallurgy and components may be far more advanced than when the automobile was invented, but speeds and standards have increased to such a degree that the race track still stands as the ultimate test of inter-part compatability; think of it as the automotive equivalent of a week’s vacation with the in-laws.

And no race track in the world pushes automobile limits further than the world famous Nürburgring. Nicknamed the Green Hell, the Nürburgring packs 127 corners, kilometres of guardrails, two carousels and one jump (yes, a jump) into its 20.6-km North Loop. Throttle around here at an average speed of a 160-plus km an hour and you will quickly wear out bits once thought indestructible in normal use.

And it’s not just the obvious consumables — tires, brakes engines and shock absorbers — that succumb to the abuse. One of the primary tests conducted here, according to the Jaguar Test Center’s director (for yes, Jaguar, once the old fuddy dudiest of luxury automakers, now has a test facility here), Phil Talboys, is to test the fatigue strength of Jaguar’s innovative aluminum chassis. Torsional rigidity and every panel gap is measured as soon as the new XJ or XK is unloaded from the lorry and then again after it is beaten up for 8,000 km of top-speed whoop-de-doing. According to Talboys, there is no discernible difference in the before and after measurements, proving that the company’s lighter-than-steel chassis is indeed up to the task.

For putting lithe two-seater sports cars through their paces, then, the Nürburgring knows no equal. But I’m not driving a lithe two-seater sports car; I’m hooning about in Jaguar’s luxurious XJ. Indeed, though Jaguar calls the model of the XJ I am thrashing the Supersport, denoting the sportiest version of said luxury barge, it is still a 5,247-millimetre-long four-door (I’m actually flogging about in the limousine-like long-wheelbase version) sedan.

And, yet, the XKR-S, the very epitome of Jaguar coupedom and the fastest Jag ever produced, isn’t gaining much ground on me. Oh, the two-seater will hold a tighter line through the ’Ring’s numerous hairpins and, despite its 510 horsepower of supercharged goodness, the XJ Supersport struggles to keep up with the lighter and more powerful R-S on long straights.

But, then, you remember that this is the XJ, a car not specifically designed for race track floggings but coddling potentates and demagogues in royalty-like serenity. Indeed, it is this duality of comfort and comportment that is this Jaguar’s calling card. Simply put, though the big XJ has some issues (lack of an AWD drivetrain, lack of a hybrid or diesel alternative powertrain, etc.), it is the class of the luxury segment when it comes to combining ride and handling. Yes, a fully outfitted BMW 7-Series might turn corners a smidgen better, but it can’t compete with the big Jag in suspension compliance. And neither Mercedes’ (non-AMG) S Class nor Audi’s A8 holds the road with anything like the tenacity of an XJ.

Credit for this duality goes to a trio of Jaguar technologies. The first, the XJ’s all-aluminum chassis, has been the source of Jaguar pride for some time now, the idea being that less weight (an XJ can undercut its competition by as much as 200 kilograms) places less stress on the tires, suspension and, yes, the engine. It also means that even the long-wheelbase version can be tossed through ess corners with something approaching élan, or at least as much élan as you’re going to get from a D-segment stretched luxury sedan.

But much of the credit for balancing ride and handling goes to the company’s Adaptive Dynamics suspension system. Like many modern cars, Jaguar’s XJ uses adjustable shock absorbers monitored by a computer that measures things such as body movement, roll and pitch — not to mention steering wheel and throttle position — to alter firmness. Jaguar, however, seems to have calibrated its suspenders more adroitly than its competition as the springing is at once compliant over bumps yet firm through corners. Again, the XJ is the best balanced of all über-luxury sedans with handling (aided by the third technology, an electronically controlled locking rear differential) belying its girth and comfort.

The rest of the aluminum-framed darling also acquits itself quite well. Jaguar’s range of 5.0-litre V8s — 385 hp in normally aspirated form and 470 or 510 ponies when force fed by a supercharger — may not quite match the numbers bragged by the competition, but it’s worth remembering that all that aluminum means the big Jag is lighter than its competition. Suffice it to say that the big cat is plenty quick: Jaguar Canada claims a 4.9-seconds-to-100-km/h acceleration time for the Supersport. In no company is the XJ slow.

Indeed, this year, supercharged versions of the XJ — both the 470-hp S/C and 510-hp Supersport version — are available with a Speedpak. Although horsepower is not increased in either model, the electronically controlled speed limit is raised to 278 km/h from 250 km/h. We confirm Jaguar’s numbers by posting a 285-km/h top speed (perhaps our electronic nanny was feeling particularly liberal this Friday afternoon) on the big Jag’s speed while autobahning just outside the Nürburgring — all in the name of journalistic veracity, of course.

Inside, the XJ remains as luxurious as ever, all leather and bespoke wood. It’s worth noting that the long-wheelbase L version costs as little as $3,000 more than the standard-wheelbase version and offers 125 millimetres more rear-seat legroom with precious little compromise to handling. It even looks better, at least to these eyes. There’s also a new Sport Pack that adds sport seats (as well as exterior styling and 20-inch alloy wheels).

That’s precious little change from last year’s, but, then, after a day of blasting down autobahns and slithering around the Nürburgring, one could make the argument that the big XJ doesn’t need much change. It’s certainly established its sporting bona fides.